1. Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to a treatment system and/or device that modifies the atmosphere in a container to prolong life of cut flowers therein.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Cut flowers are transported from flower growers around the world, frequently in South America, Europe, and Africa, to distribution centers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, then the cut flowers are further transported to florists or retail locations where they are sold to consumers. More than 65% of the cut flowers consumed in the United States at present are grown in the Andean countries. Colombia is the largest producer, followed by Ecuador, which produces primarily roses, and then Peru. African countries, such as Kenya, are another major producer of cut flowers, with the primary commercial outlet to Europe through the Netherlands. Two of the primary transit and distribution centers for cut flowers are Miami, Florida (United States) and Amsterdam (Netherlands).
The lifespan and appearance of cut flowers are negatively affected by the effects of ethylene, C2H4, a naturally-occurring hydrocarbon gas that is produced by flowers as they age and by fruit as it ripens. Ethylene is also present in the atmosphere as a reaction by-product of combustion, such as automobile exhaust, propane heater exhaust, wood smoke, and even cigarette smoke. Exposure to external ethylene in the environment can initiate internal ethylene production in some floral species. Ethylene has a “senescence effect” (also called an “aging effect”) on many species of cut flowers, as well as on other plants and fruits. In some instances, the effects of ethylene can be employed to advantage, such as its use as a ripening agent for tomatoes, bananas, pears, and other fruits or vegetables after harvest. However, the effects of ethylene on cut flowers are almost all deleterious—often severely so—to the lifespan of the cut flower and its appearance. Ethylene, by binding to ethylene receptors in the cut flower, causes early senescence (i.e., a shorter flower lifespan), rapid loss of petals and leaves, (early) induction of flowering, loss of chlorophyll, epinasty (downward-bending) of leaves and stems, and dormancy, any of which can result in a loss of value of the cut flower. Furthermore, ethylene receptors are continually generated throughout the life of the flower.
As noted above, certain species of cut flowers respond to ethylene produced by external sources as well as to ethylene generated internally by the flowers themselves. Some common external sources of ethylene include ripening fruits or other plants, auto exhaust, heater exhaust, cigarette smoke, and composting vegetation. The presence of ethylene is not always easy to detect, as ethylene gas is colorless and has little or no smell, apart from a faint sweet smell that can be difficult to detect. Compounding the problem is that ethylene gas is a common air contaminant in some retail environments where cut flowers are marketed and/or displayed, such as in supermarkets, where the cut flowers may be displayed near fruits that emit large amounts of ethylene. The effects of ethylene on cut flowers may also be exacerbated when the flowers are transported in the same vehicle with other plants or fruits (such as apples) that emit large amounts of ethylene into the environment inside of the vehicle, thereby greatly reducing the shelf life and appearance of the cut flowers.
The cut flower market is intensely focused on the quality of the flower. A poor-quality flower generally cannot be sold, no matter how inexpensively the flower is priced.
The general process for transporting cut flowers is as follows: Flowers are harvested from the ground by cutting. The cut flowers are taken to a collecting center and processed for transport. The cut flowers are treated by dipping their stems dipped in a solution that kills insects and other pests, which is required for importing cut flowers into the United States and Europe. The cut flowers are cleaned, dried, and bundled. The bundles of cut flowers are placed in a shipping container for transport.
The shipping containers of cut flowers are then chilled in a refrigerator to a temperature of approximately 34° F.-40° F. (1.1° C.-4.4° C.), which decreases the rate of respiration of the cut flowers. The refrigerated shipping containers of cut flowers are then loaded on refrigerated trucks, and transported to an airport. It is believed that by the present invention the flowers could then be shipped to a seaport instead of an airport. The refrigerated shipping containers are loaded into the cargo hold of an airplane or ship, and transported to a floral transit center, such as Miami (Florida), United States, or Amsterdam, Netherlands. Upon arrival in the floral transit center, the refrigerated shipping containers of cut flowers are moved from the cargo holds of the airplane or ship to a refrigerated warehouse. The refrigerated shipping containers of cut flowers are loaded onto refrigerated trucks or other delivery vehicles for transporting to florists, retail store (e.g., supermarket or convenience store), or to local warehouses for shipping to another retail location. Upon reaching the final retail destination, the cut flowers are removed from the refrigerated shipping container, and placed in refrigerated display cases or on a retail floor for sale to consumers, who take the cut flowers home to display in a vase at room temperature. The cut flowers deteriorate rapidly after removal from a chilled environment.
Ideally, the shipping container that was packaged by the flower grower is the same container that arrives at the florist or retail outlet, without being opened to expose the contents of the shipping container and the atmosphere therein to ambient external conditions. However, in practice, shipping containers of cut flowers are opened at one or more of the transit steps. In addition, the cold chain can be violated and have the cut flowers exposed to warmer temperatures even as high as 100° F. outside of the container.
The cut flowers typically remain in the shipping container between about 5 to 7 days if shipped to a flower transit center in the U.S., but often longer if shipped to a transit center in Europe, adding even more time in the shipping container before the cut flowers arrive at their destinations where they are distributed for sale to consumers. If the cut flowers are left at the floral transit center for even an extra day or two before final trans-shipping, there are considerable losses of flowers that must be thrown away as unsellable.